Us Against the World
by Mellony
Summary: After Santana accidentally outs herself at school her life becomes hell. Kurt refuses to let her face the Jocks alone and returns to McKinley. Will contain both Het and Slash. Klaine, possible Brittana and others.
1. Chapter 1

Glee – Us against the World

Summary: After Santana accidentally outs herself at school her life becomes hell. Kurt refuses to let her face the Jocks alone and returns to McKinley. Will contain both Het and Slash. Klaine, possible Brittana and others.

AN: This is my idea of why Kurt would return to McKinley when essentially nothing has changed there. Even if he doesn't feel like he fits in at Dalton I don't think that he would return without a darn good reason while Karofsky is still there (or that his dad would let him). Do to some recent spoilers I'm currently guessing that something similar to this might occur on the show soon but I guess we'll see if I'm right (or completely wrong) when it starts back up again in April.

I love the idea of a good Kurt/Santana friendship so this is my attempt at writing one; we'll see how it goes.

Placement wise this occurs after the episode 'Original Song' and before a 'Night of Neglect' (as it hasn't come out yet and I have no idea what's going to happen there) and so is AU after regionals.

Warnings for Slash and Het. Mentions of bulling in various forms, mentions of suicide.

Disclaimer: No I don't own Glee.

Note: as of 10/05/11 this chapter has been edited to correct some wording and grammer errors that were missed in the original posting.

Chapter 1

Santana stormed through the halls like a girl on a mission. Of course the mission at the moment was mostly just about getting as far away from the boy behind her as quickly as possible right now but still.

She didn't want to do this right now. It was too much, on top of everything else; everything that she'd had to deal with over the last few days...no...months, years even. The boys always just wanting her for sex and her letting them use her because it was easier that way. Her half-hearted attempt to use Sam to get back at Quinn for being so high and mighty all the time and having everyone love her for it even though she was just the same as Santana at heart, willing to do just about anything to be popular and in charge. Confessing to Brittany and being rejected.

Oh how that hurt. It hurt. It _hurt_.

After finally admitting the depth of her true feelings to herself and Santana knew she couldn't go back to the way she'd been before. Looking back on it all only made her more disgusted at herself. What had she been trying to prove really? Her actions had made sense at the time but now it all just seemed so _stupid_. Maybe if she hadn't done all that Brittany would have said it back? Maybe it was her own fault that Brittany didn't love her?

And now Sam (who actually wasn't that bad a guy and hadn't pressed her for sex even though she'd offered and hadn't really complained about the way she kept lashing out at him because she _hurt_ and he was _there_ reminding her of all her faults and everything she'd done wrong) wanted to _talk_ about their _relationship_ (but he was still a _guy_ and she was realizing that even that one fact had suddenly become too much for her to handle right now).

It was all just too much. She had to go. She didn't want to talk. Getting away from him was her best option because if she had to face him now- well she wasn't quite sure what she'd do but she was pretty she that she'd regret it.

"Will you just hold up for a sec?" Sam jogged a few paces to catch up to her. "I think we need to talk or something. You've been acting like…I don't even know," he huffed as he followed her around another corner. "It's like you don't even like me. So I think we should- will you just _stop_ for a sec?"

He'd finally gotten close enough that he'd managed to lightly grasp her elbow on that last line and she instantly whipped around, flinging his hand off in the process, she did _not_ want a boy touching her right now. That touch was the last straw. All the jumbled and confused emotions she'd been trying to suppress, that tight ball of agony in her chest that she'd been trying so desperately to ignore, exploded in one giant wave of uncontrollable fury.

"You think I don't like you? Well give the blond a cookie," She sneered. "I don't. Not one iota. I don't want you to touch me. I don't even want you anywhere near me. You want to break up? Consider us _over_ you fish mouthed _male_." She snarled. "All you boys are the same; disgusting creatures that only care about shoving your dicks into the nearest warm body. Well I'm sick and tired of putting up with it! You and all of the stupid, _insipid_ men like you can just _shove off_!"

The poor boy just gapped at the outraged latina in shock even as her finger jabbed painfully into his chest. He knew their relationship hadn't been going well lately (well it never really had) but he had no idea where this anger was coming from. As far as he knew he'd done nothing to deserve it but the latina had just gone and verbally ripped his head off, obviously not caring that they were in the middle of a crowded hallway. He had no idea what was going on and all he could do was stare at her as her body trembled in place before him.

Santana's face was still flushed from her outburst only moments before but she couldn't hold back the tears that suddenly welled up in her eyes. The emotions were to raw, to votile, and now that the words had started pouring out of her she couldn't reel them back in if she wanted too. It felt good to get it out, off her chest, though she did feel a bit bad about dishing it out on Sam the one guy here who least deserved it.

She wasn't sure if it was the pressure of the emotions or some subconscious desire to apologize, to explain, that made her say what she did next.

Her voice dropped to no more than a whisper, but in the dead silence of the hallway it rang out loud and clear. "The only person in this whole damn school," she stared straight into his eyes as the confession spilled from her lips, "that is worth a damn, is the one girl who refuses to love me back."

s s s s s s s

The confrontation had occurred just before school got out on Monday. By Tuesday morning everyone knew that Santana Lopez, former cheerio, had dumped Sam Evans, alternate quarter back, because she was in love with a girl. Not just fooling around with one to get with guys like she used too, but in love.

She was a _lesbian_.

Santana hadn't even gotten to her first class when Karofsky threw a slushy in her face.

She'd never been slushied before. Despite being one of the gleeks she'd always been protected by her well known status as a cheerleader who didn't mind fooling around, even after leaving the team, and so she'd never had to experience the horror the other glee kids had described. She'd always kind of thought they'd exaggerated how bad it was, of course it would suck, but she'd never even imagined that it would be this bad.

It felt like she'd been bitch-slapped by an iceberg.

It honestly _hurt_, and that wasn't even adding in the burning feeling that was the corn syrup in her eyes or the absolutely _gross_ sensation of having a freezing, sticky, drink sliding down her skin and under her clothes. It was _everywhere_.

And no description could have prepared her for just how _pathetic_ it made her feel.

Just one iced drink, and in less than two seconds it had moved her from fairly high on the school's totem pole to the _absolute bottom_. She could literally feel it. As that drink of ice and corn syrup had smashed into her face it had also crashed right through what was left of her reputation and the last of the respect the jocks had held for her dripped off her skin and fell to the floor with it into a cold, dirty, puddle.

But one thought screamed through her head louder than anything else.

_This was the beginning of her destruction._

s s s s s s s

She was right. Everything she had feared seemed to be coming to pass. These jerks had harassed Kurt to the point that he'd had to leave the school entirely and now that blind hatred was turning on her.

Slushies had just been the start. Her locker had been broken into multiple times. The first time her books had been destroyed, the others she had discovered 'presents' in the form of insulting notes or nasty pranks such as Coach Sylvester's 'dirt trick.' She hadn't been able to eat lunch all week because someone would always knock her tray out of her hands, usually into her face. She hadn't been dumpster tossed yet but several of the jocks had taken to dumping trash cans over her head. Slurs and insults where tossed her way constantly. She was shunned by anyone even remotely popular unless they were harassing her and being 'knocked accidentally' was becoming more and more common.

It was _hell_.

The glee kids weren't much help either. She'd never really _tried_ to make friends there, had never really thought she'd need them and her recent attitude had pushed them even farther away than normal, and now it was coming back to bite her in the ass. Oh, they didn't ignore her newfound introduction into being 'outcast #1,' several of the girls had helped her clean up after the slushies or the trash-dumps, but they didn't exactly go out of their way to help her either.

She guessed they figured she deserved it a little bit, not for her sexuality, but for all the times she'd ignored or mocked their own suffering.

It was already getting to her. She tried to put on a brave face for school but she'd spend more time crying this week than she had since she was five. She had no clue when she'd gotten this _weak_. She was supposed to be stronger than this. She was a _bitch damn it_! She wasn't supposed to let all of this crap get top her. Oh, she'd known it would take its toll, that her reputation would go to hell and they'd all start treating her like garbage, she knew it would be hard (and it was) but she hadn't expected it to be _this bad_.

Mostly because she'd never anticipated having to do this _alone_.

Oh, she was glad that Brittany wasn't going through this too, she loved the other girl far too much even if Brittany couldn't love her back the way she wanted, but it was the loneliness of it all that was really killing her. The knowledge that she was the _only one_ at that school that this was happening too.

She had no idea how Kurt had dealt with it as long as he had. It was _awful_.

And she'd only been dealing with it for a week.

Yet she couldn't bring herself to think of transferring away like he had. Her folks defiantly had the money (her Dad was a doctor) so that wasn't an issue, but she refused to leave Brittany. Even if the other girl didn't love her the same way she was still Santana's best (and maybe only real) friend. They had been together since they where children, with Santana watching out for her often oblivious companion. Brittany was sweet as anything and often got confused easily so it was easy for others (especially stupid boys) to take advantage of her. Santana refused to leave the girl on her own and let that happen, not for anything. Besides, Kurt had managed to deal with this for years. She remembered the things the jocks had done to him as far back as elementary school and it had certainly only gotten worse with time. In comparison what she'd faced so far was _nothing_. She shouldn't be complaining when she knew he'd gone through more than this, she only had to hang on for a little over a year, just till graduation, and then she'd be fine.

Yeah, she'd be fine.

She just wasn't sure how to handle it until then.

s s s s s s s

Kurt was outlining his latest essay for his literature class in one of Dalton's many small study areas. The work at Dalton was a lot more complicated that what had been required at McKinley and the teachers expected the students to do in depth research and use outside sources for every assignment if they wanted to earn good grades. So he often stayed late on campus to finish his class work since in the end it was easier to stay here, where he could run to the library or hunt down a classmate if he realized a topic needed elaboration, rather than driving all the way home right away and be unable to produce work that was 'up to par.' Sometimes it sucked, it certainly cut down on the time he was able to spend with his friends from McKinley, but it wasn't all bad by staying late on campus he had been able to form new friendships with some of the Dalton boys and got to spend quite a bit more time with Blaine.

A happy smile crossed his face at the thought of his boyfriend. They'd been together for nearly a month now (they had just past the three week mark) and everything was going swimmingly. They'd had their first official date two days after they'd gotten together and it had been amazing. They'd gone ice skating (Blaine had insisted that it was the perfect thing to do before spring truly set in and they'd ended up having a lot of fun at the near empty rink), gotten dinner at a small but lovely Italian restaurant outside Columbus and then taken a romantic stroll (it was kind of cold but that meant they got to cuddle more) around the Dalton campus looking at the stars.

Not that that had been their only date, they'd also caught a movie together and gone to see a local production of _Into the Woods_ as well as their regular coffee meets and outing with their friends. Getting together with Blaine had really shown Kurt just how big a difference there was between Dalton and McKinley though. While of course his friends from New Directions had been happy to hear that Kurt had finally gotten his man he knew that everyone else at McKinley would be just the opposite, harassing them and ripping them down. Here at Dalton the worst comments they got were some dirty teasing and everyone, especially the Warblers, seemed to be genuinely happy for them.

Sometimes it felt like he was living in a fantasy world, attending Dalton, but he didn't regret coming here. Yes, there were some things he missed and initially it had been a bit hard to get used to the differences but in the end it had all been for the best. Not only was he safer, Dalton had given him the time to find the peace of mind that McKinley had been slowly tearing away from him. He felt safe again, but not just that. He felt confident again. Finally being in a place where he didn't have to scream all the time, whether to be noticed by the right people or to attempt to fend off the wrong ones, he had been able to analyze, reevaluate, and in fact discover himself in ways he hadn't realized he needed to before.

Before it had all been about trying to express himself in spite of the world's adversity. Now, now it was just about _being_ himself.

He wished he'd understood the difference back when he'd been at McKinley, it might have made everything he'd faced there easier to deal with.

"Hey Kurt! There's a girl down in the front hall who's looking for you." Surprised by the interruption he glanced up to see that Jeff had popped his head through the doorway to deliver the message. The blonde Warbler just gave a slight wave and then vanished back down the hall, probably to meet up with Nick for their usual 'gaming night'. They had it almost every week and often other students would join in but Kurt had opted out tonight in favor of getting his work done.

Intrigued, Kurt quickly packed up his stuff. Who had come to visit him? He assumed it was one of the girls from McKinley. However none of them had texted him and almost no one ever bothered to visit him at school so it was a little strange. It was probably Mercedes or Rachel though. They were the two he saw most often these days so it wouldn't be too out there for one of them to swing by. And if their phone had died that would explain the lack of a text, Mercedes had been complaining about her lack of battery life lately.

He strolled casually to the entrance hall, an anticipatory grin already on his face, only to freeze in shock upon his arrival. That wasn't Mercedes. Or Rachel. Hell, it wasn't even Tina.

Kurt took in the figure in shock. Nice black shoes with stockings. The stylish but modest dark blue dress. The medium length dark brown hair swept back with a simple headband. The face of the latina girl who had literally been the last person he'd expected to see.

"Santana?"

She turned to him and he could instantly see that something was…off…about her expression. The girl looked close to tears. While he had seen the latina break down before (when she was drunk or when Coach Sylvester had been particularly harsh) there was something different about this. He had always thought of Santana was one of those girls who only really cried when they were so beyond angry and frustrated at the treatment they were receiving that it came out as tears. He'd never really imagined this…sadness that seemed to be filling her now. It just seemed very out of place for the bitchy, confident girl he knew.

He approached her cautiously, not really sure how to handle this. Kurt just knew that something was very very wrong. She didn't respond. In fact she wasn't even looking at him, just standing there staring at her feet. She should be standing tall, throwing out insults or at least making sarcastic comments…but she wasn't doing any of that.

"Santana? What's wrong?"

He lifted a tentative hand to brush at her shoulder, His worry only increasing the longer she remained silent.

Without warning the brunette suddenly threw herself into his arms, clutching at his blazer as tears poured down her face. Kurt had absolutely no idea what was going on, this went against every perceived notion he'd ever had about the feisty latina, but he decided it didn't really matter. He and Santana Lopez had never really been friends but she was a glee mate and she was here now, literally crying on his shoulder, and that made her one of his girls. She'd come to him so he would be here for her.

He gently wrapped his arms around her in a loose hug. Rubbing soothing circles into her back he just stood there. Holding her. He would let her cry as long as she needed to and when she was ready she would talk. Kurt wasn't sure quite how long they ended up standing there, in reality it was probably only a few minutes though the time had seemed to stretch longer, until her breathing calmed and the tears stopped.

Santana was still clutching at his shirt like a lifeline and he had a passing thought about how crinkled it would be when she finally let go but this was one time when he genuinely couldn't care less about the state of his clothes, the girl in his arms was far more important.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and he could feel it where her face was buried in his shoulder. The silence seemed loud around them but he didn't speak, just kept rubbing at her back. He'd give her all the time she needed.

"How did you do it Kurt?" The breathy, too shaky question eventually broke through the quiet.

"What?"

"How were you so strong? How did you face them every day? How did you keep going back for so long?" Her read puffy eyes finally rose to meet his for the first time since she'd shown up, her gaze pleading for an answer. "How where you still able to be so proud even when they kept tearing you down all the time?"

He wanted to reply but-"Why?" Why did she want to know so badly? Why did she suddenly _need_ to? Santana had always been proud and confident. What could have reduced her to this scared creature in his arms?

"Everyone knows." She swallowed harshly and her word came out in a husky whisper. "They found out I'm gay."

x x x x x x x


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Santana still wasn't sure why she had come. She hadn't meant to, honestly, she had never really intended to talk to Kurt. Sure, he'd been on her mind a lot in the last week but she'd been trying to handle everything on her own. She'd never needed anyone to help her before so why…but as she'd gotten in her car to go home today Azimo had called her a dyke and something in her had just snapped. She'd been dealing with that sort of crap all week and that one word had just been the last straw.

She _couldn't do this_.

She sat there desperately holding back tears and had the sudden realization that she really couldn't handle this. That if she went home right now she was going to break down crying. That she'd just remembered those pills her Mom kept in the medicine cabinet and the fact that she'd even had a passing thought about them scared her to death.

She _needed _someone who understood. She needed Kurt. She wasn't going to cry over this, let alone do something…more drastic. If she talked to Kurt, saw him even, then she would remember that what she was going through wasn't that bad. She would convince him to spill his secret ways of dealing and then everything would be better, it had to get better. She barely even remembered the drive to Westerville; the entire trip was a blur other than the _need_ to get to Kurt and her stubborn refusal to cry. She was _Santana Lopez_. So what if she was currently living her biggest nightmare and speeding down the highway desperately hoping for the advice of a boy she'd barely even talked to. _She wasn't going to cry darn it!_

The issue of locating Kurt once she reached his giant monstrosity of a school was easily solved by grabbing the nearest body in uniform (a blond whose hair instantly made her think of Sam, the color was disturbingly similar) and requesting that he do the work for her. The boy in question nodded easily and ran off. It was only a few minutes later that she heard the click of Kurt's heeled boots crossing the tile of the foyer, stuttering to a stop once he spotted her.

"Santana?"

The surprise in his voice shouldn't have been unexpected. It wasn't like they'd ever been friends. During their time in Glee and even when he'd joined the cheerio's the most they'd done was reduce the insults they'd directed at each other, and she certainly hadn't informed him that she was coming over. What exactly had she been expecting? Now that she was here she felt as if she'd made a horrible mistake. What had she been thinking? How was seeing Kurt going to _help_ her? Really? What sort of magical advice could he possess? If he'd had such a thing then he would have never needed to leave in the first place. Oh she was such an idiot. Why had she-

"Santana? What's wrong?"

It was something about his tone that did it, the _genuine concern_ there even when she knew he didn't particularly like her, that finally broke the dam holding back her tears. She didn't even try to stop herself as she buried herself in his chest, and released all of the pain and frustration of the last week in a torrent of body-heaving sobs. Surprisingly, he didn't shove her away. Instead he just held her, gently rubbing her back while she wept.

She just let the tears take her away for a while.

It was so odd, but standing there in that empty room, Kurt's arms wrapped around her she felt safer than she had in a long time. She'd never realized how strong his arms were before, as they circled her protectively. Or how firm his chest was until she'd held her face pressed against it. Even his hands were large, his thin piano fingers had always made them seem smaller, but now that they were rubbing soothing circles on her back she could tell the difference. It was like she'd suddenly noticed that Kurt was a _boy_ and yet…where such a thing would normally make her feel uncomfortable (because it always had on some level even though she'd persistently ignored that fact) for some reason right now it just made her feel good. Comforted. Maybe because she knew that this was one man who'd never try to touch her sexually, to ask for the things other boys always wanted. He didn't take any happiness about having her body pressed against his nor was he going to expect her to 'reward' him later for 'being so nice'; in fact he didn't get anything out of this at all. She'd never had a guy 'protect' her without having to pay some sort of price for it before, (not that she'd ever broken down like _this _in front of a guy before, she would never let them see her this vulnerable, and the fact that she had done it in front of Kurt said enough in itself) she wasn't sure how to describe it.

He was acting like he _cared_. Like he really_, honestly,_ cared. About _her_. No guy had ever done that before.

It was kind of amazing.

Maybe…maybe she had made the right choice in coming here after all.

Eventually the tears stopped. She waited a little longer in an attempt to compose herself but eventually that all important question, the one that had been hounding her for days now, rose up in her again. She didn't try to hold it back this time. She needed to ask. To know. She wasn't sure if it would make any sort of difference in the end but…she still needed to hear his answer.

"How did you do it Kurt?"

"What?" His voice was soft and gentle, without that sharp edge she remembered from McKinley. She wasn't sure if that was because of this new place, his new school, or if it had something to do with the way she had clung to him so fiercely…maybe it was a bit of both. The Kurt she remembered had disliked touch just as much as she did and yet this one hadn't even flinched. His hands had dropped slightly to rest casually around her hips, still embracing, but allowing her to have the space to lean back so she could look him in the face if she wanted to. He had changed. Gotten even stronger and right now he was lending her a little of that strength. He was just giving it to her, without pressing, because he knew she needed it and so she took a little of what he offered, letting him support her in this moment, trying to funnel this new confidence of his into the place where her own used to be.

The questions spilled off her tongue in a rush. "How were you so strong? How did you face them every day? How did you keep going back for so long?" She met his eyes at last, finally looking into the face of this boy who had comforted her though he'd had no reason too. "How where you still able to be so proud even when they kept tearing you down all the time?"

"Why?"

And there it was, that sliver of suspicion questioning her motives. This was still the Kurt she knew, the one who had fought his way through the hell that was McKinley High, he might be showing her kindness but he wasn't an idiot. Why should he tell her anything? He didn't owe her. If she was doing this to hurt him, if it was some sort of elaborate act, the kindness he was offering now would vanish in an instant. Kurt hadn't been nicknamed the 'Ice Queen' of McKinley for nothing and she knew just how vicious his tongue could be when one got on his bad side, it was something that she'd always respected about him.

If she wanted to get her answers, if she wanted to truly get to know _him_, she was going to have to tell him the truth.

"Everyone knows. They found out I'm gay."

She saw the realization sink in, his eyes widening and face going pale. She didn't need to say more than that really. With just those seven words she had effectively told Kurt everything she'd been suffering through for the last week. He'd been there, at that school, so of course he knew exactly what she was saying, even if she hadn't really told him anything yet.

His jaw tightened and he pulled her into a fierce hug, clutching her to him once more in a show of comfort that meant more to her than any words he could have uttered right then. Sharing that with him, truly knowing that she wasn't alone, made her feel even better than she'd thought it would. It didn't change anything, no, but just really knowing that he _understood_. Being able to see it on his face and feel it in the way he held her just how much he really _truly_ knew what she was going through gave her a sense of peace she hadn't expected.

She really _wasn't_ alone.

s s s s s s s

Eventually they moved from the front hall to one of Dalton's many lounge areas. By this time almost all of the commuting students had long since left and the rest where settling into their various dorms so it was easy to find one that was unoccupied. They settled into one of the plush leather couches (Santana approved of the high quality) there as they continued their talk. Santana ranted about all the crap that she'd had to deal with since her accidental 'outing' and Kurt interjected with a few comments on his own experiences as well as tips to deal with the aftermath (mostly ways to salvage clothing) of the various 'pranks' she was suffering from.

"I would tell you to transfer here with me but unfortunately I think you would be far too hot for the boys here to handle." He quipped teasingly, though there was a little bit of sadness in his eyes that told her he was sorry it wasn't going to be that simple. "They'd all combust at the mere sight of you, or at least turn into useless piles of mush. While you must be used to that already I don't quite think the teachers here are equipped to handle that level of stupidity on a regular basis. Their too used to people actually having brains." They shared a small chuckle over the joke. "Seriously though. If you really need to get out of there we do have a sister school, Crawford Country Day. You'd have to deal with a uniform though."

"No." She caught his surprised look at her abrupt answer. "I'm not going to leave. I-I can't."

He stared at her for a moment before understanding crossed his face. "It's Brittany isn't it? I'd always sort of thought, what with the way you two were," he waved his hand through the air in an abstract manner, "that you might be but I didn't want to assume anything. Especially not when you where both seeing guys all the time too."

"Yeah but not quite. It's," she tried to find the right words to explain when he looked confused, "yeah we were always together, together, but at the same time you know Brittany. She just kind of…goes with anything. So we were shaking up for years with boys on the side and she never saw anything wrong with it. But then," she sniffled slightly to hold back the tears, "but then I went and fell for her. Of course I saw what happened to you, always had, so it took me forever to be willing to risk it. But I did. It just wasn't worth dealing with the guys anymore and I thought Ok, we can be together now. Just the two of us. So I told her." Santana took a deep breath to hold back the sob trying to rise in her throat. "I told her I loved her and she turned me down because she wasn't willing to leave Artie to be with me."

"Oh, _Santana_." Kurt clutched her hand in his, giving her something to hold onto while a final tear tracked its way down her cheek. She'd though there would be more, thinking of Brittany's rejection was still the most painful thing, but she guessed she was all cried out. She was exhausted from all the tears she'd already shed today and her body just wasn't up to producing any more. She still felt better though; something about getting everything off her chest made that horrible ache there hurt a little less. Confiding in Kurt had been good for her. He hadn't mocked her or tried to play off her pain like it was nothing, nor did he attempt to offer useless platitudes. Even when he'd said her name like that all he'd done was shown her that he realized just how much pain she was in and allowed her cling to him until she calmed down again.

For some reason he kept giving her exactly what she needed. A part of her still expected him to turn around and snap at her, to throw her years of being a bitch to him back in her face, but instead he sat there listening and supporting her as no one but Brittany had ever even bothered to do before.

Yeah, maybe he hadn't had the magical answers she had come looking for but he had offered her something she had needed even more than that.

It felt…really good…to have someone just be there for her. She knew she'd never think of him the same way again, as just the bitchy-diva gay kid who, ok, was a little bit awesome but wasn't anyone special. He _was_ special. In one just afternoon, by treating her so sweetly even though he had no reason to, he had managed to become one of the few people she genuinely cared about.

He really was a friend now. Her friend.

s s s s s s s

An hour or so later, mostly spent in a mixture of silence and aimless chatter over far less emotional topics, Santana had finished pulling herself back together. She'd surprised him once more by actually offering her thanks and grabbing him for one last hug before she took her leave.

Today had been completely surreal. The idea of Santana, of all people, collapsing into such an emotional mess tore at him. Though stunned by the sight he didn't think he could have reacted in any way but to support the normally haughty latina. While it was sort of nice to know that Santana did have feelings behind her arrogant and condescending demeanor seeing her brought so low like that was just…_wrong_. It went against everything he'd ever known about her and he didn't like it. Santana might be a bitch, but she was confident in herself and demanded respect from the people around her. No one should be able to tear her down like they had, especially not the dumb jocks at McKinley.

Kurt frowned as he thought about the situation. Yes, the students of McKinley had found out Santana was gay and were making her life hell but that actually wasn't the biggest problem, the problem was that they were _getting to her_. Kurt had been dealing with harassment for years, long before he'd officially 'come out' and it was aggravating and demeaning but as long as you had someone to support you, to remind you that the bullies were the stupid ones going nowhere and to rant to when things got bad, you could deal with it. Yes it sucked but it was something you could push through until things got better.

Right now it sounded like Santana didn't have _anyone_. Even Brittany, Santana's closest friend, was keeping her distance due to their romantic (or rather lack thereof) situation and Santana couldn't even really fall back on the glee club as he had on occasion. She was alone, and she knew it, so the jibes that she should be able to shrug off with only a little effort were ripping her apart. The desolation he'd seen in her eyes while describing the harassment had terrified him.

_I'm not as strong as you Kurt. I'm not sure…I won't leave Britt. I can't. But I'm not sure I can deal with it all if it keeps up like this. I can't do it alone. _

He'd never seriously considered it himself, he could never do that to his father, but even he'd thought of suicide in passing. The idea that Santana might…no. Just no. Sure she hadn't said it but the idea was there, lurking behind everything when things got to be too much, and now his mind was jumping to the worst possible outcomes of her being left alone with things as they were. It was way too horrible. He wouldn't let things get that far.

He couldn't let her do this alone. That was the biggest issue. As long as she had someone, to hold onto, to share the pain with, to support her when she couldn't be strong by herself like today then things would be all right. She'd make it through.

_They_ would make it through.

Making the decision wasn't as hard as he'd thought it would be. As much as he'd come to love Dalton and the people he'd met here there was a part of him that still missed McKinley desperately. He wasn't entirely sure why, he'd suffered quite a bit there after all with Karofsky just being the last straw, but once he'd left he realized that despite everything he'd really loved McKinley. He missed the halls and classrooms, his French teacher with his quickly graying hair and perchance for waistcoats (one of the few teacher's who'd had a real sense of style even if it was stuck in the late 1800's), and of course the Glee club. Perhaps they hadn't always appreciated him but they had become an odd little family during their time together and he really missed being with them and getting caught up in all of their ridiculous drama. Dalton had been good for him but McKinley was where his heart was, so no, it wasn't hard to make the decision to return now that he had a good reason for it.

But now he would have to convince his Dad that he _did_ have a good reason to go back, even though Karofsky was still there.

And he was going to have to tell Blaine.

x x x x x x


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this is so short I have an AN at the bottom for those who are interested.

Chapter 3

"No Kurt"

"But Dad-"

"I said no." Burt hated the idea of Kurt returning to McKinley and he was protesting Kurt's suggestion vehemently. "That boy, that Karofsky kid, he's still there. Nothing about that situation has changed. It's not going to be any different if you return. You told me how bad it was, how much you needed to leave. We got you that. Are you really just going to throw it all away?"

"No! Dad that's not what I'm trying to say at all. I know what you and Carol did for me, what you guys gave up, and I appreciate it so much but things aren't that simple anymore." Kurt let out a frustrated huff and dragged a hand through his hair. He'd known this wasn't going to be easy but his Father had barely let him get a word in edgewise since he'd first brought the subject up half an hour ago.

"What's so complicated? You weren't safe when you were there and now you are. Why would you ever want to go back?" Burt couldn't understand why Kurt was being so insistent all of a sudden. Yes, he knew that Kurt missed his friends and felt bad about 'running away' but nothing had changed from when Kurt left. Karofsky was still there. He'd thought Kurt was fitting in well at his new school, had Kurt lied? He'd met some of Kurt's friends from there so he didn't think so. Why was the boy suddenly pushing so hard for this? It didn't make any sense!

"It's not just about _me_ anymore Dad." Kurt insisted, taking advantage of his Father's question to make his point. "The Jocks found out about Santana. So now she's there, _alone_, being forced to deal with all of that _every day_." Kurt took a deep breath to calm himself. His Dad had never really known what Kurt had been forced to deal with everyday, sure Burt had suspected, but Kurt had always tried to gloss over the details so his Father wouldn't worry about him so much. Now his former silence was coming back to bite him in the ass and he only hoped he could get his Father to understand just how much Santana needed him without making Burt freak out over the situation even more. "No matter what they did to me I've always had you to support me." He caught his Father's gaze, "Because of that, because I had you, I could handle it all. No matter what they said, stupid pranks they pulled, or how many times they dismissed me as a human being I could deal with it."

"Santana doesn't have any of that." He swallowed harshly but pressed forward. "From what little I know of them her family is dismissive at the best of times. She hasn't come out to them yet and even if she did it's unlikely they'll stand by her like you always have for me. The only friends she has are the kids in Glee and while they can try to stop the other kids from trying anything…physical they've never really understood just how much the other stuff can _hurt_." His father looked like he was going to interrupt him so Kurt barreled on. "Going through that every day is _hard_. I'm worried about her. She _needs_ a support system and right now she just doesn't have one, not really, if I was there for her then at least we could deal with it together. Having someone else there who understands will keep her from doing anything….stupid." He saw the understanding of what he _wasn't_ saying fill his Father's eyes. They had only ever talked about suicide once before, when Kurt was thirteen, there had been some special on TV about it and Burt had sat him down and firmly told him that he loved Kurt very much and all but begged Kurt to never take that path, telling him that he couldn't bear loosing Kurt. Kurt had taken that to heart but he knew enough about both the high rate of suicides amongst GLBT teens and the exact type of harassment Santana was facing that he was terrified of the possibility that she might give into that horrible temptation.

Just looking at his Father's face Kurt could tell he'd won. Burt's eyes where resigned and the anger had completely left his expression. 'Is it really that bad?' Burt's eyes asked but he didn't voice the question as just looking at Kurt's face gave him his answer. Burt knew his son wouldn't be so determined to do this if it wasn't the truth.

"I can't just leave her there alone Dad. I _can't_. I would never be able to live with the guilt if something awful happened to her, whether by her own hand or someone else's, just because I was afraid of getting a bruise or too trying to help her out. Those stupid Neanderthals are tormenting her on a daily basis! You're the one who always told me that men should treat women with respect and that any man who raised a hand to one is a coward and a lout, but most of those morons don't care. When I saw her earlier her arm was already turning colors from where one of them had knocked her into a locker. It's not right, not because she's gay and defiantly not when she's even smaller than me! I know you don't like the idea of me going back but I'm willing to suffer a few bruises if it keeps her from having too. I know it won't be perfect but at least between the two of us, and with some help from the other glee kids, we'll have a better chance of looking out for each other, or defending each other if those jerks try to take things too far."

"You really sure about this Kurt? I don't like it. I don't like it at all. Neither of you should even be having to put up with this crap. I wish the rest of the world was more like that school you're giving up."

Kurt sighed along with his father, he wished for that too, but wishing wasn't going to make much of a difference right now. He'd finally gotten his father to see his point but the man hadn't given in just yet, he knew his dad still hated the idea, hated allowing Kurt to just walk into danger, even if it was for a friend, and so was still making token protests as to prevent it. "Dalton has been lovely, it really has, but we have to face the fact that unfortunately that's not the way most of the world works and it's not an option for Santana in any case."

"This really isn't about me. I'm not looking forward to the treatment I'll get if I go back there but this isn't just my pride forcing me to face those bullies. This is about being there for a friend, so she isn't forced to face them alone."

Burt opened his mouth to say something else but Kurt cut him off with an imploring look and a soft but firm "Dad. Please. I have to do this." Burt closed his mouth and took in the look on his son's face. He knew that look, that tone of voice, Kurt had decided and no one was going to change his mind, he had already accepted the consequences that came along with this decision and nothing would sway him from following it through; it strongly reminded him of Kurt's mother back when she had told her parents that she and Burt planned to get married and they were keeping their baby. Nothing would change her mind then and nothing would change Kurt's now, he just hoped that Kurt would make it through this alright, and that his own worst nightmares wouldn't come to pass.

He wouldn't survive having to bury his son.

xxxxxxxxxx

AN: Ok so this has actually been sitting on my dash for several months now by I didn't post it because I was hoping to have more than just the scene between Kurt and his dad to give you. Unfortunately however my muses seem to have abandoned me for the time being. I AM NOT giving up on this fic but it may be quite a while before you see any updates unless my muses decide to return.

Admittedly I was very spontaneous when in posting the first chapter of this story (doing so only hours after its completion) when I usually take months or years of deliberation before posting anything longer than a drabble. The plot of it still hasn't really formed for me yet beyond the most basic idea of an Epic Kurtana friendship, I do have some ideas for things in the future however managing to get there without turning this into another drabble series is giving me some trouble.

If anyone feels like flinging some ideas at me I am currently open to suggestions for possible future scenarios. I'm truly hoping that something (it could be just about anything at this point) will spark my muses for this fic into returning ~glares at the conspicuously empty place where Kurt and Santana should be.~

However in the meantime you might actually begin to see some of my other multi-chapter fics show up on this sight; most of those aren't Glee related (most were started long before that show even came on the air) instead involving HP or various anime and include a LOT of crossovers…maybe. I'm a procrastinator at the best of times and I still need to actually type most of them up (they're all scribbled in notebooks) so it might take me awhile. We'll see.


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